


Day 304

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [304]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27317350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [304]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 2





	Day 304

Nonus glared down at his empty mug. He had spent the last of his coin on it and he had been nursing it all evening. Stupid demons had torn down his house, the laborer guildhall and half the neighborhood. He had been out of work since then and his coin had finally run out. He didn’t know what he would do next. The other labourers were here too, the ones who were still alive that is. He might have asked one of the others to spot him a round but no one had more coin than he did and the Corff refused to let them open a tab, the bastard. What were they supposed to do if not drink their shitty luck away?

Erma burst through the front door. The woman was built like a bull and had a mop of tangled black hair that did nothing to distract from the gap-toothed smirk she always seemed to be sporting. Not today though. Today she had an angry sneer and her face had gone beet red.

“The fucking bastards,” she bellowed. “The fucking knife-ears cheeted us of work.”

There was a general cry of protest from the collection of patrons. Nonus turned to hear her explanation.

“The Champion is renovating the abandoned pottery building and he’s brought the entire Alianage over to do it.”

Normally the guildmaster would have made sure something like this didn’t happen. They had a claim to any work in the area, and there should have been plenty right now. It seemed that without a Viscount to make them at least pretend to give a shit, the nobles were content to let them sort out their own neighborhood, but no one had any money. The Champion should have hired them at a fair guild price, not taken on elven labour at, he assumed, half the cost.

“Why didn’t the guildmaster back us up?” someone asked.

“You fucking dolt,” Nonus spat back. “What can he do if a noble wants to fuck us over? The Champion can spend the money he saves on labor to buy any judge in the city. We’ll never win by playing by their rules.” There was a general murmur of agreement. Nonus felt emboldened by the crowd, or maybe by the ail. “I say we show them what happens when you mess with us.”

Before he knew what was happening. Nonus was leading a group of angry labourers carrying torches and lamp oil marching on the abandoned building. Nonus expected it to be empty at this time of night but when they arrived the Champion himself was there. He stood between them and the building casually, as if taunting them.

“What are you doing here,” he said.

“You think you can cheat us out of work?” Nonus called. “You think you can sneak around and undercut us by hiring some knife-ears?”

“The guild was in disarray,” the Champion replied. “I understand you might need some work right now-”

“Sod this,” someone shouted and tossed their torch at the building. It was mostly wood so, if it caught fire the whole thing could burn down. Only the torch didn’t reach its target. The Champion shot ice from his hand and doused the fire mid-air. 

Nonus hesitated. For a long while nobody moved. They were angry, and they outnumbered the Champion many times over. They could probably take him if they tried but mages didn’t operate by the rules of ordinary men. Besides, it was not just the Champion’s fault. The elves were the ones always trying to steal their work. The only reason they hadn’t managed to put them all out of business yet was because of the guildmaster.

“This way,” he called out, Marching the crowd away from the abandoned poverty house and towards the Alienage. The others were confused at first, but when they realized where he was leading them, the fire returned to their hearts. The elves would never dare to steal their work again!


End file.
